If you are trying to sell your home, or you merely want to improve the look of your property, then you need to improve your curb appeal. Many people worry about spending too much money, particularly if they are selling their property. However, a great looking home can help you to increase interest in the property. Best of all, it is not going to cost you a fortune to make your Houston home look fantastic. Let’s look at the best and most cost-effective ways to boost your curb appeal quickly and easily.
Painting
If you were to hire someone to paint your entire home, it could cost a substantial amount. However, you can paint the home yourself, and even have some friends over to help you. A fresh coat of paint is a fantastic way to make your home look better. In addition to painting the home, you will also want to paint the front door, trim, and shutters. If you have a garage, be sure to paint that as well. After all, if only part of the property were painted, it would not look very good.
When you are painting the door, you will also want to replace the hardware if it looks old and beat up. This is another very cost-effective method of making your home look better.
Check Your Mailbox
If you have a mailbox out in front of your property, and it is more than a few years old, it might need a little bit of touchup itself. It might be crooked, dinged, and battered. Some paint could help with this, as well, or you might simply want to get a new mailbox. It might seem like a little thing, but when people are coming to look at your property, you will find that they are going to be looking at the little things, too. New mailboxes can be quite cheap, too. You should be able to find something for well under $50. If you are handy, you might even want to make one.
The House Number
Another one of the little things you do not want to overlook is your house number. Step outside and take a look. If it appears old and faded, it’s time that you picked up some new ones. People are going to be looking at the number as soon as they pull up to the house to make sure they are at the right address. Make sure you give them a good first impression. You can usually find them for between $1 and $2 per number, so you should be able to get the numbers you need for less than $15 to $20.
Mowing and Landscaping
It is also essential that you keep your yard in good shape. This means you need to have it mowed regularly, and you need to make sure that you take care of your landscaping. Put in some flowers or flower boxes, as well to give the property a bit of color to make it more visually appealing. As always, you will want to make sure that you have your landscaping under control. You do not want branches, bushes, and the like obscuring your home from view.
No Clutter
Just as you do not want to have clutter inside of your home, you do not want to have any clutter on the outside either. This means picking up any toys that might be in the yard or the driveway, debris, and even some of the yard decorations you might have. Even though you might love the look of lawn gnomes and flamingos, that does not mean everyone else who is looking at your house will love them. In fact, even though it is something as simple as lawn décor, it could turn away some buyers.
Exterior Lighting
You will also want to look into the exterior lighting of your home. Even though you might only be showing the home during the daylight hours, many prospective buyers will want to come by and look at the property in the evening hours to see what the home is like after dark. Having nice exterior lighting, which matches the look of your home, can make your home look great, and it also adds an additional element of security to the property.
A Costlier Update – the Garage Door
We’ve already mentioned that you will want to paint your garage door if it has seen better days. However, if your garage door is not working properly, you might want to consider changing out the door and the system entirely. This will add to the cost of improving your curb appeal, but it could be worth it. If the garage door is not working when people are looking at the home, it is going to detract the value of the property. People are going to be looking for a discount. Invest in a better door, and you could even get more money for your property.
What Can You Do to Sell Your Home Faster?
However, even when you improve your curb appeal, you might find that you still have trouble selling your home for one reason or another. If you are having trouble selling your home, and it has been on the market for a while now, then you might want to consider some other options for selling. Rather than selling on the market as you normally would, you have a few options. You might want to consider renting the home for a while, until you could find a buyer, for example.
One of the best options to consider is to work with an investor instead. One of the big benefits of working with an investor is that even if the home is not in tiptop shape, and even if the home needs repairs, investors are still going to be interested in buying. This could help to save you both time and money when it comes to getting out of your home.